A second study by researchers at the University of British Columbia (UBC), Canada further explored depression in spouses of people with RA.

They found that higher levels of spouse depression predicted worse disease progression for Rheumatoid arthritis patients over a one-year period.

Anita DeLongis and colleagues from the University of British Columbia examined the role of spouse mood in the disability and disease course of 133 RA patients.

'Our findings highlight the key role played by the spouse in the course of the disease for individuals with RA, and point to the importance of including the spouse in clinical interventions,' the authors concluded.

Both studies were published in the August issue of Arthritis Care & Research, a journal of the American College of Rheumatology.